(OTTAWA) –The federal government is proposing to give western barley growers three options on the ballot to determine the future of single-desk marketing. These questions set a concerning precedent for the coming wheat plebiscite as the three options outlined could potentially cloud any clear outcome.

One of the three ballot questions announced yesterday by the federal government reads: “I would like the option to market my barley to the Canadian Wheat Board or any other domestic or foreign buyer.” This question proposes the possibility producers can choose a strong, viable Canadian Wheat Board that can continue to exist in an open market for barley and possibly wheat, an idea the Minister’s own Task Force on Implementing Market Choice said was not feasible.

“This ballot asks farmers to vote for something that may not be possible. The CWB cannot exist in its present form in an open market, and no one has yet presented a viable plan for how the CWB can transition and remain strong,” said Bob Friesen, CFA President.

In the Report of the Technical task Force on Implementing Market Choice for Wheat and Barley, issued October 25, 2006, the task force concludes the idea of a dual market with the CWB coexisting with an open market approach is not possible.  The rough framework offered by the report for turning the CWB into another small grain company with few assets, does not represent a realistic plan for entering a market already dominated by powerful multinational corporations.

“With unclear questions come unclear answers. If one of the ballot options presents an unrealistic scenario, voters will be confused and the result will be tainted,” said Friesen. “We call on the government to clarify the plebiscite by either presenting a realistic plan for how the CWB could remain viable and strong in an open market, or remove this option from the ballot.”

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Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations as well as national and inter-provincial commodity organizations from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.